A phenomenological study on the lived experience of men with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Gracie Elizabeth Snell*, Catherine Heidi Seage, Jenny Mercer

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Whilst chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has been widely researched amongst women, studies investigating how men experience a CFS diagnosis is limited. This study utilised an interpretative phenomenological approach to interview five men who have a medical diagnosis of CFS. Six themes emerged to demonstrate the participants’ experiences prior to, during and after obtaining their CFS diagnosis. Findings revealed that participants were initially reluctant to accept their condition, confounded by their perception that symptoms compromised their sense of masculinity. They also felt that healthcare professionals had limited recognition of CFS leading them to seek social support and legitimisation from other sources. The struggle to come to terms with a different lifestyle and sense of masculinity prevailed. Such knowledge could be effectively utilised by researchers, practitioners and employers to facilitate an increased understanding of male accounts of the condition and more bespoke interventions where required.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)225-237
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Health Psychology
Volume29
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Jul 2023

Keywords

  • acceptance
  • chronic fatigue syndrome
  • diagnosis
  • health professionals
  • interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)
  • lived experience
  • masculinity
  • norms

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